Pinkham Notch & Mt. Washington Auto Road

From North Conway the route runs through Glen and Jackson, past the Honeymoon Covered Bridge, and climbs NH-16 into Pinkham Notch, by Glen Ellis Falls. At the Glen House it takes the Mt. Washington Auto Road, a private toll road you ride up and back down the same way to the summit of the highest peak in the Northeast, before finishing in Gorham. It's 43 miles. The Auto Road season ends November 1 and depends on the weather; without the summit, NH-16 alone is still worth the trip.

The Mt. Washington Auto Road opened in 1861 as the Mount Washington Carriage Road, and it's still private and tolled. It climbs 7.6 miles from the Glen House on NH-16 to the summit of the highest peak in the Northeast, at 6,288 feet, with an average grade near 12 percent. There's no other way down, so you ride it up and back the same way. It has been fully paved since 2022, but the upper section is narrow and has drops with no guardrail: ride up in small groups and come down in a low gear. The 2026 season runs until November 1, weather permitting, and in late October the last start up is at 4 p.m.

Before the Auto Road, NH-16 crosses Jackson by the Honeymoon Bridge, a covered bridge built in 1876, where couples traditionally kiss for luck, and then climbs through Pinkham Notch. Glen Ellis Falls is a short walk from its parking lot, through a tunnel under the highway, and the falls drop about 64 feet. The summit is often cold, windy and in the clouds even in summer, so pack a warm layer. Without the summit, the route still works by staying on NH-16 to Gorham.